Samulnori Dancers, Dongguk University Gyeongju
I mentioned a few weeks ago Dongguk University held it’s lantern-lighting ceremony in honor of Buddha’s Birthday on April 29th. As it turned out, the 29th was also declared a National Day or Mourning in honor of the 46 sailors who died in the sinking of the “Cheonan” on March 26th. Unfortunately this meant all celebrations had to be canceled or seriously toned down out of respect for the solemnity of the occasion. The ceremony still went on, but without the usual festive barrage of balloons, lanterns and fireworks.
Samulnori Dancers, Dongguk University Gyeongju
The event wasn’t a total flop though. Being the country’s oldest and highest ranked Budhhist University, Dongguk has a very strong program in Traditional Korean Visual and Performance Arts. The Donnguk Samulnori (사물놀이) troupe kick started the event with a 20 minute routine of drumming and hat dancing. It didn’t fail to get the crowd buzzing and luckily I had my zoom lens handy.
Samulnori Dancers, Dongguk University Gyeongju
Samulnori Dancers, Dongguk University Gyeongju
The program continued on for another hour or so with some Buddhist drumming (법고), a few classical and Pansori pieces by the orchestra, a song by children the Dongguk Kindergarten, and a speech or two. What really caught my eye though was something I’d never seen before in Korea: the Nabichum (나비춤), or literally “butterfly dance”. Being a form of Buddhist ritual dance, or Jakbeop (작법), it was slow, meditative and very, very beautiful.
Nabichum Dancers, Dongguk University Gyeongju
Nabichum Dancers, Dongguk University Gyeongju
As the actual lantern parade was not nearly as spectacular as years past, I’m not posting up any photos from this year. Without the lanterns and fireworks, it just didn’t quite have the same bling. Still, if you want to get the gist of what it’s usually like, you can check out my photos from last year.
Pansori Singer, Dongguk University Gyeongju
And speaking of Dongguk festivals and holidays, if you’re local or passing through Gyeongju this week, tonight is the opening of Dongguk Festival Week. Festival is Korea’s answer to rush week, where all the University clubs and departments set up tents all over campus and dish out cheap booze and over priced snacks until the wee hours of the morning. This year Dongguk Festival Week runs from Tuesday the 18th through Thursday the 20th. The fun kicks off tomorrow night at 6:00pm in the soccer field with free performances by several big name K-pop and K-hop acts (whose names surprisingly have escaped me). Be there or be square.
